JELBX vs. VFAIX

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio (JELBX) and Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX).

JELBX is managed by BlackRock. It was launched on Jan 6, 1997. VFAIX is managed by BlackRock. It was launched on Feb 4, 2004.

Performance

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio (JELBX) and Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
JELBX John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio	-1.37%	9.73%	9.33%	12.06%	-15.06%	9.76%	1.76%	17.91%	-4.89%	7.55%
VFAIX Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares	-9.18%	14.90%	30.46%	14.07%	-12.26%	36.27%	-2.15%	31.63%	-13.47%	20.05%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, JELBX achieves a -1.37% return, which is significantly higher than VFAIX's -9.18% return. Over the past 10 years, JELBX has underperformed VFAIX with an annualized return of 4.01%, while VFAIX has yielded a comparatively higher 12.36% annualized return.

JELBX

• 1D: 1.80%
• 1M: -4.10%
• YTD: -1.37%
• 6M: 0.20%
• 1Y: 7.81%
• 3Y*: 8.54%
• 5Y*: 3.75%
• 10Y*: 4.01%

VFAIX

• 1D: 2.18%
• 1M: -3.59%
• YTD: -9.18%
• 6M: -6.35%
• 1Y: 2.77%
• 3Y*: 17.93%
• 5Y*: 9.49%
• 10Y*: 12.36%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Expense Ratio Comparison

JELBX has a 0.17% expense ratio, which is higher than VFAIX's 0.10% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

JELBX

John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio

VFAIX

Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares

Return for Risk

JELBX vs. VFAIX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

JELBX

JELBX Risk / Return Rank: 27
JELBX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 36
JELBX Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
JELBX Omega Ratio Rank: 34
JELBX Calmar Ratio Rank: 15
JELBX Martin Ratio Rank: 15

VFAIX

VFAIX Risk / Return Rank: 8
VFAIX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7
VFAIX Sortino Ratio Rank: 7
VFAIX Omega Ratio Rank: 7
VFAIX Calmar Ratio Rank: 11
VFAIX Martin Ratio Rank: 10

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio (JELBX) and Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	JELBX	VFAIX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.90	0.14	+0.76
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.35	0.32	+1.03
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.19	1.05	+0.14
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.62	0.26	+0.36
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.16	0.78	+1.38
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current JELBX Sharpe Ratio is 0.90, which is higher than the VFAIX Sharpe Ratio of 0.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of JELBX and VFAIX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	JELBX	VFAIX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.90	0.14	+0.76
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.45	0.49	-0.04
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.48	0.55	-0.07
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.12	0.23	-0.11

Correlation

The correlation between JELBX and VFAIX is 0.73, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Dividend Comparison

JELBX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.87%, more than VFAIX's 1.61% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
JELBX John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio	6.87%	6.78%	2.98%	10.88%	6.00%	2.55%	7.95%	6.43%	10.30%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VFAIX Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares	1.61%	1.56%	1.75%	2.08%	2.31%	2.62%	2.21%	2.17%	2.30%	1.54%	1.64%	2.00%

Drawdowns

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum JELBX drawdown since its inception was -50.73%, smaller than the maximum VFAIX drawdown of -78.64%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for JELBX and VFAIX.

Drawdown Indicators

	JELBX	VFAIX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-50.73%	-78.64%	+27.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-7.29%	-14.72%	+7.43%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-18.54%	-25.71%	+7.17%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-18.81%	-44.37%	+25.56%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.69%	-11.94%	+7.25%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.20%	-18.69%	+5.49%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.83%	4.92%	-2.09%

Volatility

JELBX vs. VFAIX - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for John Hancock Variable Insurance Trust Managed Volatility Balanced Portfolio (JELBX) is 4.11%, while Vanguard Financials Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFAIX) has a volatility of 4.84%. This indicates that JELBX experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than VFAIX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	JELBX	VFAIX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.11%	4.84%	-0.73%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.16%	11.74%	-5.58%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.51%	19.94%	-9.43%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	8.52%	19.42%	-10.90%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	8.50%	22.63%	-14.13%